I’m pumped for the weekend but I know I’ll have to take it easy so I can catch up on some sleep. But we can all agree that in eight or so more hours we can do as we please and not as ‘the man’ wants us to.

As promised in “Viva la Cuba!” I have a review of the book I’ve been reading; Fidel Castro: My Life.

The good stuff first. The format of the book, as I stated before, was an interview style though some editing has been done to make it more readable. For me that style was great as it seemed candid and honest. The way Castro speaks is given (albeit through translation) a more human touch than it would be in a factual type of book. I also enjoyed how much research had been put into the writing. Dates, people and events are carefuly noted in the end notes and you cannot misunderstand who these key players or events are/were.

Of course it wasn’t all peachy. I find that Fidel deals in a lot of absolutes and as Obi Wan taught us: “Only sith deal in absolutes.” An example would be Castro claiming that throughout Cuba’s entire revolution from the 50s up until now, not one prisioner in war or otherwise has been treated poorly. It may be that not many have, but he cannot claim that when his soldiers in Africa aren’t under his direct supervision and are in an emotionally heated state of battle.
Stylistically I hated the end notes. They weren’t placed as footnotes because of their impressive quantity, but they weren’t placed at the end of the chapter either. Having to flip to the very back of the book every time was a tedious activity and forced me to use two bookmarks!

That’s what I thought, but I’d recommend reading the book if you get a chance, it’ll open your mind a bit.